Parallel Universe

The idea of the existence of a parallel universe somewhat appealed to me.

Parallel universe. For some, it's a destination. A location. A specific place. A latitude and longitude. A specific part on the face of the Earth. For some, it is simply a state of mind. Ironically, the latter thinking is not simpler per se, in fact, it's more complicated than finding the physical location of a parallel universe--if there is one--but when one is contented with his/her state of mind, if one attains the peace he/she has been looking for, everything becomes simpler.

Siddharta Gautama/Gautama Buddha was right when he posited that, to end suffering is to end one's desire. When one desires nothing/no one, suffering will not be attained. This may seem too much simplification, but really, think about it. No desire, no disappointment, no suffering.

I think Richard (from The Beach, played by Leonardo DiCarpio) was right when he said something like... "I still believe in Paradise. But now I know it's not someplace you look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel in a moment in your life when you're part of something. And if you find that moment, it lasts forever."

To be honest, I think the geography/physical aspect of Paradise/Parallel Universe is important--and for some people, an inevitable characteristic in the assumption/imagination of its existence. One has to be physically isolated from what he/she was used to in order to feel the freedom and be free from the "shackles" of his/her usual way of living. I do not want to sound philosophical here but one has to feel this freedom before embracing something new. 'Cause I think, no matter how much we think about it, Paradise/Parallel Universe is way better than we imagine it to be.

The opportunity and the actuality of being part of something special--"that moment" that "lasts forever"--is hard to find. Hell, maybe some people die without experiencing it. But I do hope I will be not one of those people who miss out on this life-changing, life-lasting moment.

If I was to look back to the closest I got to achieving that near-Paradise or near-Parallel Universe experience, I think it's the whole Batanes practicum experience. In the summer of May 2009, I and twelve other blockmates flew to the northernmost island/province of Luzon, Batanes. It was a heavenly place. Too beautiful for words. The place's beauty can only justified by being there. For two weeks, we laughed, learned and lived miles away from our families, our comfort zones. There were laughs, tears, shouts, whispers and whatnots, but I think what made the whole experience near-Paradise was this.. What happened there, no matter how much we try to capture and preserve the moments (on camera, and in words. hell, even in our memories), will always be in our hearts.

Yes, that sounds too romanticized. But really, when we all came back from Batanes, all thirteen of us--a diverse group of individuals--we brought something with us. Something we cannot point our fingers to, but something that binds us together. I'd like to think that the whole experience made us closer to each other. We may not have much to say to each other when we pass each other in the halls, because some of us were not really friends, but when worse comes to worse, we all can reminisce that experience and smile and say, "Hay, I miss Batanes."

But like what Richard said, "We adapt. We carry on." We all did--though nothing "tragic" happened there like in the movie. We had to face the sad fact that no matter how much we clicked in Batanes, we're not really buddies or pals or lunchmates in Manila. We had different priorities and cliques. That no matter how much we loved that experience, we had to go back to what/who we were before that experience.

Maybe that was my near-Paradise/Parallel Universe experience, in the nearly two decades of my life.



Or maybe not.

I really don't know what this near-Paradise/Parallel Universe moment is. Maybe it has happened already. Or maybe it hasn't. Or maybe, just maybe, it's currently happening. I just want to be aware when it does.